The return of the rabbit ears

The antennae affectionately dubbed "rabbit ears" have made a comeback, and quite a big one at that. With services like Hulu and Netflix allowing people to watch streaming video services, television for many is going back to the antenna age.

The dipole antenna, better known as rabbit ears, graced the top of television sets for generations up until the advent of cable. And with the ability to utilize streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, it would seem that the legendary, albeit now seemingly archaic technology is all but a memory.

However, according to an article from Time, is doing a lot more good than harm to the world of rabbit ears as their $8 a month services are allowing people to ditch cable TV in order to cut costs of viewing their programs of choice.

Rabbit ears are, in fact, capable of receiving several dozen digital stations when accompanied with HD- or other forms of flat-screen televisions reports News 4 Jax. Those who abandoned modern services like cable in favor of this older method of watching TV are content with its abilities the site also says.

"The reception you'll receive will be phenomenal. You will see the same shows but I think they are brighter, sharper, and crisper because there's less processing involved," said WJXT-TV engineer, Bill Tomlinson.

Tomlinson, along with many Americans whose numbers continue to rise, has gotten rid of cable and its cost and currently looks to the world wide web and basic broadcast channels for entertainment. He claims the utilization of antennae picks up quite a bit more than most people of the modern age might like to believe.

"The cost of one month of what we were paying, we're getting crystal clear service of 20 to 30 channels and as much TV as we can handle with the Netflix little box we have," said Tomlinson.

In addition to the aforementioned forms of entertainment, people like Tomlinson also have the Playstation 3 (which has Netflix access) and various other forms of DVD and Blu Ray players in order to watch their favorite movies or programs. Quiana Davis also told News 4 Jax of the financial benefits converting to the usage of rabbit ears has bestowed upon her.

"I have kids so I think about college and the mortgage and student loans," she said.

If you're considering getting rid of cable yourself and are curious as to what antenna services are available in your area, you can visit antennapoint.com and punch in your zip code to see what transmitters are closest to your home. You can also look into what kind of programming choices are available to you.